Word In Life Study Bible
A TEMPTATION TO TRUST IN NUMBERS
2 Sam.24:1
David’s census of Israel (2 Sam. 24:1) was one of seven major censuses mentioned in Scripture (see “A Second Census” at Num. 26:2).
Scripture’s record of this census raises several questions. Second Samuel attributes it to “the anger of the Lord,” whereas the parallel account in 1 Chronicles attributes it to Satan (1 Chr. 21:1). One solution to this apparent discrepancy is to consider that in the Old Testament, Satan is presented as a fallen angel of God who exercises only as much power as the Lord allows him (for example, Job 1–2; Zech. 3:1–5). God apparently allowed Satan to incite David to number the people. In that way both accounts are accurate, but provide different perspectives.
David’s purpose in counting his population was probably to assess his military strength, much like the second census taken under Moses (Num. 1:2–3). David found 800,000 men eligible for military service in Israel and 500,000 men in Judah (2 Sam. 24:9), more than double the previous head count.
Yet this census displeased the Lord. The Bible does not explain why, but it may be that David was falling into the temptation of trusting in the size of his army rather than in the Lord. God punished David and reduced his forces somewhat by bringing a plague that killed 70,000 men (24:15; 1 Chr. 21:14).
Study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible, copyright 1993,1996, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. The study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible appearing at this web site are for personal use only.
Print
Email
